


Who killed Rita Skeeter?

by herumtreiber



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Humor, M/M, Pensieves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-23
Updated: 2012-11-23
Packaged: 2017-11-19 08:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/571260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herumtreiber/pseuds/herumtreiber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When all is said and done, the Wizengamot may have had a point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who killed Rita Skeeter?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for dove_drabbles prompt #2: Remember your first everything

 

 

"Harry James Potter, you stand accused of the heinous murder of Rita Skeeter. Any last words before we render our judgment?"

Pandemonium rose in the Wizengamot. Ron jumped from his seat, and only Hermione's swiftly cast _Immobulus_ prevented the redheaded Auror from rushing to the rescue of his partner and best friend.

"No, because this august body won't accept that I'm innocent," said Harry tiredly.

Whilst the members shouted in their effort to make themselves heard, Hermione looked at her watch. The hastily convened session of the Wizengamot spoke of intrigues within the government. Shacklebolt was in St. Mungo's because of a miscast spell and the elements which wanted to wreak revenge on the purebloods had seized this chance to lash out at Harry, the courageous voice that counselled restraint.

"Any word of Malfoy?" muttered Ginny from her seat next to her brother.

"No. I think they're intercepting owls."

"He's an Unspeakable. He can help Harry; the ferret has to come!" Ginny fingered her wand, staring intently at Carinus Cutteridge, the implacable prosecutor who insisted he saw Harry leaving the room where Skeeter's mangled body was found. Carinus' testimony having been obtained under _Veritaserum_ , it was unimpeachable unless new evidence was presented.

The doors of the Wizengamot were flung open and a cloaked figure walked into the chamber with an easy gait. As it passed through the shadows, a movement jarred the cowl and the onlookers gasped at the shock of white-blond hair that peeked through the gloom.

"At last, Draco's here!" mumbled Luna, adjusting her flowing Unspeakable robes. She had been watching the proceedings through her peculiar glasses, and didn't seem too worried.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" growled Cutteridge.

Draco drawled, "I understand Potter has been wrongly charged of murdering…"

"Get to the point, you Death Eater scum!" Cutteridge snarled, his brows furrowed in a scowl.

"Uncouth lout!" muttered Draco through clenched teeth; in a louder voice, he said to the assembled Wizengamot, "I trust you have asked Potter what he did last Friday?"

"We have," said Cutteridge with a sneer. "We ascertained his whereabouts up until the time our dearly lamented Rita was killed. We are sure he was alone at that time."

Draco scoffed, "And of course, you would believe the worst of the Saviour of the Wizarding World, the Vanquisher, and holder of Merlin's…"

"That's beside the point!" shouted Cutteridge. "We need evidence!"

"What about his Pensieve memories?"

"He wouldn't allow us to see them!"

Draco crossed his arms and scowled at Harry. "The perfect gentleman as always, Potter?"

Harry snorted. "Malfoy, I don't want these louts to watch my remembrance of the first time we…"

"Nonsense," Draco waved his hand, wiping away Harry's objections. "I'll have to supply the memories then!"

From his seat in front of Hermione, Zacharias Smith squirmed as he rubbed his hands with glee. He'd been lusting after Harry _and_ Draco for months, and the vision of their entwined bodies, making hot love – for that was surely what they were doing – could give him months of wank material. This would surely make up for Skeeter's failure to provide him with photographic evidence of the former Seekers' infatuation, even after Smith helpfully pointed the reporter in the right direction for the scoop of the year.

Luna took off her glasses and shook her head at Smith, muttering, "Poor fool!" She turned to Hermione and pointed at Ron with the stem of her glasses. "Aren't you going to free him?"

"I'll wait," Hermione said, "I fear he's going to be mad at Malfoy's testimony."

"If you say so," said Luna disinterestedly.

"Do you know what happened between them?" Hermione waved vaguely in the direction where Draco was nudging the Pensieve.

"Let's say that my glasses are not what they seem," said Luna with an air of mystery. A faint smile lifted up the corners of her mouth, lending her the appearance of a Ravenclaw Mona Lisa.

"Unspeakable business, I reckon." Hermione shrugged and turned her attention to the witness stand where Draco was whirling his wand, extracting the silvery liquid that might prevent Harry from being condemned unjustly.

The members of the Wizengamot leaned forward as Lena Alston, the magistrate presiding over Harry's case, walked towards the Pensieve and submerged her face to see Draco's memory.

Zacharias fidgeted on his seat, hoping the witch would not be reticent to expound upon her findings.

However, the old woman just shrugged and said succinctly, "Malfoy kissed Potter, or Potter kissed him." She fingered her chin, frowning. "It was hard to judge because of their snarling; then the two fell in a heap on the bench. "

"What?" roared Cutteridge. "Surely the memory is not from Friday. I don't remember hearing anything."

"It is so, dear Carinus," said Ms Alston. "I read the date upon a parchment, it was obviously written by a Quick-Quotes-Quill. By the way, your hearing isn't what it used to be, dear. We all know that."

"I refuse to believe it," said Cutteridge.

"Do you all want to see for yourselves?" Lena adjusted her severe bun and glared at the Wizengamot.

Whilst several doubting members stood up to make their way to the front and watch the memories, Hermione sighed. "Well, that ought to clear Harry. But who killed Rita Skeeter?"

"Reckon she was snooping around for an exclusive and someone unknowingly sat on her, squashing the poor beetle," said Luna with a faint smile. "That's the scuttlebutt amongst the Unspeakables."

"You seem oddly satisfied." Hermione sighed, her gaze straying to the bench where Harry glared heatedly at Draco. Judging from Ms Alston's testimony, those two should pounce on each other any minute now.  She shook her head at the way they conducted their strange courtship; it was a miracle they hadn't hurt their classmates at Hogwarts.

"Well, I watched their first kiss," said Luna. "I also saw what happened after they left the Ministry. Harry wanted to go home to clean the dirty spot on the seat of his robes, and Draco suggested the Unspeakable offices." Luna nudged Hermione's elbow and winked knowingly. "One thing led to another."

Hermione looked sharply at the blonde. "Any chance you might provide me with the Pensieve memories?"

"Sorry, Hermione. Memories are classified, Unspeakable business and all."

Hermione hunched her shoulders, sighing dejectedly. "I reckon I can see the necessity of that, what with…"

Luna interrupted her, hefting the glasses. "Did I mention that these are recording glasses?"

"So you recorded…"

"We can discuss it over a cup of tea, after you liberate Ron."

"Who?" Hermione looked guiltily at her fiancé. "Oh, sure."

 

 

 


End file.
